Before your consultation
After your consultation
During your telephone consultation
Any questions?
Video relay service
Let us know if you would like to...
- Change your appointment - it's really important that you keep your appointment. If you don't, we will return your claim to the DfC. If you cannot keep your appointment for any reason, tell us straight away. You can only change your appointment once.
- Request a language translator or British/Irish Sign Language interpreter
- Request an appointment with a disability assessor of a specific gender
What you need for your telephone consultation
- Proof of ID - you will not be asked to show ID, but you will be asked some security questions.
- Your telephone - if we are calling you on your mobile phone, make sure your phone is fully charged before the consultation. Try to be in a quiet place, with a good signal and no background noise.
- Any new evidence - if you have any new evidence of how your health condition or disability affects your daily life, please discuss this with the disability assessor. You will need to send a copy of this to the DfC after your consultation.
Please send any new evidence to:
Freepost RTRT-EKUG-KXJR
PIP MOU
PO Box 42
Limavady
BT49 4AN
Who can join you at your consultation?
We encourage you to have someone with you during your consultation. This could be a friend, family member, carer or support worker. They should not speak for you, but they can help you to answer any questions or explain the difficulties you face more clearly. If your companion will be translating or interpreting for you, they must be over 18.
If your companion cannot be with you in person, we can add them to the telephone call. We will call you first, so please let the disability assessor know if you would like your companion to be added to the call. You will need to provide their telephone number and they need to be ready to answer the phone at the time of your appointment.
Audio recording
You are able to have your telephone consultation recorded. If you would like to do this, please let the assessor know at the start of your appointment. The assessor will ask for your consent and will explain how the recording will be used and stored. If you decide you no longer want your consultation to be recorded, let the assessor know and they will stop the recording. The recording will be securely destroyed, and your consultation will then continue as normal.
After your appointment, you will receive a link to your recording by text message or email and a separate one containing your one-time password. The password will expire within 24 hours and can only be used once to access and download your recording. This is to protect you and the information you provided at your appointment.
If you would rather have a CD copy of your recording, then this can be requested by calling the Department for Communities on 0800 587 0932. We will also keep a copy of the recording.
If you need a British/Irish Sign Language (BSL/ISL) interpreter...
For Deaf or Hard of Hearing people who use British or Irish Sign Language (BSL/ISL). Your telephone assessment will take place using our video relay service.
This service is free of charge and the interpreters are fully qualified and registered.
To use the video relay service, you will need:
- A computer or laptop with a webcam,
- A highspeed internet connection and Firefox/Chrome for Windows or Safari for Mac,
or
- A tablet or smartphone (iOS devices 8 or upwards) or (Android 4.4 upwards) with a 3G or 4G data plan
If you are invited for a telephone assessment using our video relay service but do not have the necessary equipment, please contact us as soon as possible.
To join your assessment, you need to:
- go to www.signvideo.co.uk before your appointment, download the SignVideo mobile app and search for CAPITA PIP ASSESSMENTS,
or
- click on this link https://capitapipassessments.signvideo.net or type it into your internet browser
At the time of your appointment, please connect to SignVideo and tell them that you are calling Capita for your PIP assessment.
To resolve any issues you may have, please check the Sign Video FAQ page.
Be ready for the call...
You need to be ready for the disability assessor to call you at the time of your appointment. The call will come from an 0808 or withheld number. Our disability assessor will try to call you up to three times over a 20-minute period. If you do not answer the phone, we will return your claim to the DfC.
Remember to let the disability assessor know if you would like your companion to be added to the call.
The disability assessor will identify themselves by telling you their name and saying that they are calling from Capita PIP.
The disability assessor will need to ask you some identification questions before your consultation can go ahead. If you have any concerns that the disability assessor is not who they say they are, please get in touch.
Our disability assessors are specially trained to carry out functional consultations.
It is important to remember that the consultation is not medical, so the disability assessor is not looking to diagnose your symptoms or recommend treatment. Instead, it will focus on how your health condition or disability impacts your day-to-day life. The disability assessor will ask you how you manage your daily activities and will record your answers on a laptop. This is your opportunity to explain how your health condition or disability affects you.
The consultation will take as long as is necessary for the disability assessor to gather the information they need - this is usually around an hour.
The disability assessor will write a report for the DfC.
The report will be based on the evidence you have provided as well as anything you discussed during your consultation.
They will send the report to the DfC so they can make a decision on your claim.
The DfC will look at your claim and all supporting information. This includes the consultation report, your ‘How your disability affects you’ form and any other evidence you have provided.
Once they have made their decision, they will write to you to tell you if you can get PIP.
When you get your decision letter, if you want a copy of the consultation report, or you have any questions about your claim or the decision, please phone the DfC on 0800 587 0932 (textphone: 0800 587 0937).
To find out more, watch this short video.
DfC PIP consultation - what to expect